Changing Our Stars: The Vision Behind NextGen Thriving

What inspired you to establish NextGen Thriving?

First, as a Christian, I believe – to those that much is given – much is expected. And so, when I reflect on my life and the opportunities that were given to me, I must give back. Growing up, I was a poor boy. I remember having only one pair of dress shoes, one pair of tennis shoes and working in the fields barefooted because I didn’t want to mess up my tennis shoes.

And then a few people took a risk with me. They trusted me and gave me opportunities – like my father. I was so mad at him when I was a kid because he put me out in the field driving the tractor at nine years old. We had mules up until he bought that tractor in 1963, and it was his baby. But he allowed me to drive it, and upon reflection, he really trusted me enough to do it right!

The bottom line is that because I’ve been blessed, I’m expected to give back. God gave me challenges, and I said to myself, if I ever got to a point where I could do some good, I wanted to give young people the opportunity to develop their skills in a safe environment. Because I know for me, it was life changing. If it weren’t for those people who trusted in me, encouraged and supported me, my life would be very different.

So that’s a long answer to a short question. I promise I’ll try to be less wordy in the future.

How does the mission of NextGen Thriving align with your personal values?

It’s simple. I believe in helping others. Most days, I stay so busy that I can’t get to a lot of things. But one thing I can do is contribute money – because God’s given me the ability to be a good businessperson. So, I give back through contributing money that can be turned into skills.

One of the things I found out when I was 17 years old is that people have greater potential than they realize. I was a B-C student in high school, but I always felt like I was more capable. I grew up in Durham, North Carolina, which was then a big tobacco city. I didn’t get very good grades, but I wasn’t worried about school because I thought my destiny was working for a tobacco company.

In the 11th grade, I took a test called the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), and I scored in the top three percentile in the country on both mechanical and electrical engineering. Then I got a letter from Congressman Ike Andrews trying to recruit me to the Armed Services academies. Although I declined, it made me realize I was more capable than I ever thought possible, and so my stars were changed. You know the old saying about changing your stars if you don’t believe that you can create a different future, then you may not go after creating that different future because you give up before you even start?

I must be a little bit different than I thought I was. A little more intelligent than was reflected in my grades. How many young people get stuck in a rut, in situations like I was? They have so much potential, but they just give up and accept their fate, because they don’t have someone cheering them on. They aren’t given an opportunity to demonstrate they’re more capable.

So NextGen Thriving is about taking these underprivileged, underserved, and disabled kids, and giving them a new opportunity.

I’ll never forget the video that Code for Life shared at the summit with ten CIO’s when I actually shed a tear. A young Black man from Harlem spoke about his experience with Code for Life. He said, “Prior to Code for Life, I thought I would just be like everybody else in Harlem. Now, I know I’m capable of anything.

I believe things happen for a reason. God gave me an opportunity to break out of the situation I was born into, and I couldn’t waste it.

Can you share a personal story that influenced the mission of NextGen Thriving?

My son Patrick was born severely handicapped and diagnosed with autism. One of the things I came to realize was that he was highly functioning, but nobody knew it. I think children are the most misunderstood class of individuals in the country. They get written off; they get put into a box. Even as Patrick became less mobile, he understood every word that was being said. He could read people so well. He became my sensor of whether people had a good heart based on whether he liked them. In many cases, he saw something or felt some energy that that I couldn’t feel – and he was right.

I also have a Godson, Brady, with autism. Until he was a teenager, he was very reserved, and this was very concerning for his mother. He and I hit it off very well and we created our own language. We would have such a good time playing and spending time together. He is such a sweet spirit. Brady’s brother was a big athlete and got a full scholarship as a running back to the University of Cincinnati. He got Brady involved as a waterboy for a sports association. That was a life-changing experience for Brady. It taught him that he could handle responsibility, and then down the road, he went to school. Brady is now 25 years old, working at a restaurant a couple of days per week, busing tables, taking out trash. He’s adding tremendous value and much more capable than people have given him credit for. The point is, he’s a productive member of society because somebody gave him a chance. His brother and then his mother sponsored it – and now he’s thriving.

That’s why I can relate, and that’s what NextGen Thriving is all about.

It’s easy to serve people that you know, understand, or share similarities with. But it’s infinitely more challenging and exciting to change the lives of young people that may not otherwise have an opportunity. To think about the generational impact, the community impact. It’s not only that person’s life being changed – it’s everybody around them, their community, and the generation that comes after them. That’s powerful.

What do you see as the biggest impact NextGen Thriving has on the communities served through its Grantees?

I think the number one thing NextGen Thriving is doing for the grantees and the people they serve is creating an environment where underserved young people can develop a skill.

What is the one thing we can do to change a person’s life? Well, we may not be able to solve their disability. We may not be able to change the environment that they’re in. But we can give them the opportunity to learn a skill, despite being in a less conducive environment.

And I know in my heart that it changes your life, because it happened to me and I’ve seen it happen to others. It changes your entire perspective of what your potential is.

One of my favorite movies is A Knight’s Tale starring Heath Ledger. His father tells him before he leaves to become an apprentice to a knight, “I’m giving you an opportunity to change your stars.” And at the end of the movie, after Heath’s character wins the victory, he tells his father, “I’ve changed my stars.” He was grateful to his father, because his father had to give him up at a young age to go to an apprentice. But he did it out of love, trying to give him an opportunity to fulfill his potential.

What accomplishments of the organization are you most proud of?

First, our commitment to honor the pledge to our grantees. To come along beside them and help them be successful in their endeavor to change the lives of young people. Second, seeing what those young people do with the opportunities they are given, and knowing that we are changing not only their lives, but their families, their communities, and the next generation. I may never see all that impact directly, but I know it’s happening because of the rigorous program governance. I am very confident that our grantees are delivering valuable capabilities to the individuals they serve. We’ve chosen good grantees that share our passion. We created a great foundation, with a great board and staff.

For me, it’s all about the impact. Everything else is just an enabler. That’s what I’m most proud of.

What lessons have you learned from serving on the Board?

There is boundless opportunity out there to make an impact. When we started, we focused on a mission that we were passionate about and we haven’t deviated from or diluted that mission. But there have been opportunities to either give money internationally or to pursue other needs. And we said no, we want to serve the underserved, the underprivileged and people with disabilities, and we’re going to start in the US because in a sense, charity starts at home, and we’ve lived by that.

So, I’m very pleased that we have set it up right with proper governance. We put in place a good board structure and we never wavered from our commitment to finance it, even when we’ve had difficult financial years at Silver Tree Consulting & Services (the foundation’s main corporate sponsor). The most difficult thing for me is that I’d like to give more to the foundation, not less.

Where do you see NextGen Thriving in the next three to five years?

We’ve already started to support franchising one of our startup grantees, Code for Life. We chose them because they are a small, localized organization with a grand vision that we can replicate to model in other cities. So, it’s exciting to see us extend the impact and enable our grantees to expand a model that works, replicate that model in other geographies or extend it where they’re at, such that they have greater impact.

I also see a significant improvement in the donations. To date, donations have come almost exclusively from either the Ricks Family or our corporate sponsor Silver Tree Consulting & Services. But I’m expecting to see a significant increase. We’re going to start generating donations from other sources because we’re now an operating foundation and can play an even more significant role with our grantees.

How can others, whether individuals or businesses, support NextGen Thriving’s mission?

There are multiple ways for people to get involved in service – whether through prayer, sending positive energy and encouragement, contributing money or time. I encourage people to become actively involved in the mission of the foundation, and with the grantees to help them be successful.

Final Thoughts?

My only conclusion is that I am so thankful. For people like you [our staff], that keep the vision and mission of NextGen Thriving alive. I am so thankful that I was given the opportunity to found NextGen Thriving.

And when I think about what I want to do with my life when I finally do hang up my hat and retire, I want to become more involved with NextGen Thriving and making an impact.

Half the company and half of my wealth is going to go to the Foundation upon my passing.

I want to leave a legacy of being a good father, a good husband, a good person, a good leader, and also somebody that really had a passion to meet the needs of the underserved.

Join the Movement

Why Fund NextGen Thriving?

• 100% of donations are allocated to our Grants Program thanks to our corporate sponsor, Silver Tree Consulting & Services and the generosity of our Founder, Richard C. Ricks
• An investment in NextGen Thriving is strengthening an ecosystem of high-impact nonprofits, driving sustainable, scalable change for historically marginalized youth
• Our Board of Directors is deeply engaged and 100% invested in the mission
• Demonstrated operational excellence through legal compliance, monthly financial reconciliation and expense tracking, Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statements submitted annually by the Board, and Standard Operating Procedures

Our Grants Program does more than fund organizations aligned with our mission—we invest in their long-term success. We have already made a measurable difference since our founding in 2020:

• $550,000 total funds disbursed to 4 nonprofit organizations
• 1,953 total youth (ages 16-24) engaged through our programming
• How We’re Preparing Youth for the Future
  • Vocational training in baking and coding languages, including Web Basics (HTML, CSS), JavaScript, React, Node.js, Mongo dB, Python and Machine Learning
  • Job placements and career training on financial capability, education and career support services
• Geographic Communities Served – Harlem, Brooklyn, The Bronx, and Staten Island, New York; Atlanta, Georgia; Houston, Texas